WATCH ABOVE: Major League baseball was back in Montreal on Sunday. It wasn’t the Expos, but the travelling road show created quite the buzz. Kelly Greig reports.
MONTREAL – Play Ball! Major League Baseball’s (MLB) roadshow slid into their third Canadian stop in Pointe-Claire this weekend.
It’s the second year the tour has visited Quebec, with stops in Calgary and Vancouver along the way.
“It’s extremely important, obviously the history of baseball here is outstanding. There’s a rich tradition but really Canada in general- it’s a major market and I love to be in the city of Montreal,” said MLB specialist in international marketing development Mickey Shupin.
It’s been 11 years since the Expos left town but for many fans it feels like just yesterday.
There’s been a push for the team to come back, one of the most vocal supporters is Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre.
READ MORE: Montreal mayor in New York City to drum up support for return of MLB
In April, 46,000 fans packed Olympic Stadium for an MLB exhibition game.
Even if there’s no news yet of the Expos returning–fans here are just happy that baseball is back in town.
“It’s fantastic, it really just opens up the opportunity to bring back a team here. Montreal fans are always really loyal and it’s unfortunate what happened but it’s just exciting that MLB is looking at us again,” said ExposNation member David Foscato.
According to Baseball Quebec, the Island of Montreal saw a 15 per cent increase in signups last year alone.
They say it’s events like these and the possibility of an MLB team returning to Montreal that really drums up interest in the sport.
“The local youth involvement in baseball we can see kids getting back into it- we see an increase in signups and it’s really been fantastic. Everyone is back in the spirit and we can show we haven’t lost our love for baseball here in Montreal,” said Foscato.
Many at the event were dressed the part in full uniform or at least sporting their team’s colours. While they’re not quite the Rock or Le Grand Orange — there were plenty of Kids here today.
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